Sorting-machine belt



Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

' ALLENE'T. HOXTER, OF ATLANTA,'NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOB TO BOGGS ME ATLANTA,NEW YORK,ZA CORPORATIQN OF NEW: YORK.

software-Macrame Lenin,

Application filed Jl1116'24, 1922. seen-a0. 570,615.": r

To all whomiz't may concern: if Be it known that I, AL EN T. Hox'rnn, ofAtlanta v in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Sorting-Mae chine Beltsfand I dohereby declare the following to be a full clear and'enact description ofthe same reference being had to the accompanying drawings formlng a partof this specification and to'the referencefnumerals marked thereon.

This invention relates to sorting or grading machines and moreparticularly to sorting belts for the. same, one object of the 1nventionbeing to provide a simple; efiicient and durable belt having convenientmeans for detachably connecting the ends and adjusting the lengththereof. Another ob ect is the provision of a cham beltof the abovedescription ofa light flexible character easy to construct at .acomparatively low cost, having. meeting ends formed for convenientlydetachable engagement with each other to facilitateapplicationor'removalof the. chain or adjustment of its length to-suit difierent operatingconditions. To these and other ends the invention residesin certainimprovements and combinations of parts all as will hereinafter be morefully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims atthe end of the specification;

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a: vertical longitudinal section through a sorting machinehaving the pres ent invention applied thereto;

F igure 2 is an enlarged detailed View "of a sorting chain embodying thepresent inven-' tion; v v T I Y 1 v Figure 3 is a sectional view on theline 36-3 of Figure 2. V j

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts, I

The invention is embodied in the present instance, byway ofillustration, in a sorting belt of a machine forsorting or: grading Vvegetables or other articles, such, for example, as potatoes, and Figure1 shows a machine of this description compris nga substantiallyrectangular frame havingside boardse supported on legs 6 and united by aboard 7 at one end adjacent which is providediahopper 8 to receive'thearticles to be sortedI- At the ends of the fr'ame are'rollers 9 and 10rotatably journalle'd at 'th'eir, ends in' the frame 'sides'5. Thesorting beltindicated generally at 11' is supported for" movement onthese rollers, the roller 9 hav= ing an angular surface or beingotherwise provided'with means for engagement with r the belt to drivethe latter. Suitable means; are provided for rotating roller Sand anumber of idle rollers 12 are'preferablytprovided for supporting theupper or active 7 run 13 of the belt; the lower run orside '7 14 ofwhich'may be allowed-to sa'g'loosely towad the floor to provide spacebetween the upper and lower sides of the belt for. any suitablemeans forcollecting articles which by reason of their size pass through the up- 77 per run. Such articles as remain on the belt are discharged over theend of the' latter, this machine being of a wellknown variety and wh ctype of construction the details of require no further description.

The invention is embodied lIltheipresent' instance in a sorting belt orchain shown as applied to a machine of theabove descrip- 7 tion and'ofthe general character described in Letters Patent to F. Boggs 1,032,375,dated lightfle'xibl'e chain comprising a plurality July 16, 1912; Thisbelt isin the form of of strips of wire 15 each formed to providelongitudinally thereof a series of loops-11651 with intermediateiconnecting fportions 17 between adjacent loops, the connecting portionsof one strip being engaged in the loops of the ad acentstrip t'ojoinadjacent strips for pivotal movement relatively to each other about axesextending transverselyof the belt or chain. The loop portions'l6 andintermediate connecting portions 17 are preferably spaced, as shown inFigure2, to formopenings 1-8 of a sizeand shape adapa ed to permit thepassage therethrough of the articles of. the grade" which it is desiredto have pass through the belt. This arrangement results in anadvantageousstagger ingof the openingg'f18 in adjacentstri'ps,

so 'i so that an article moving lengthwise relatively to the beltshortly encounters one of the openings. This result is preferably ob-,tained by forming the strips in the approximate shape of a spiral coilas shown, which is easy'to produce by simplefor'ming means and has thefurther' advantage in that it permits of the engagement of adjacentstrips during "manufacture or repair byrotating and screwing the coils,so to speak into place. When adjacent coils have been thus assembled theterminals may beinterlocked by a simple bending as at 19 This construction affords a free pivotal" movement of one'st-rip onthe other about anaxis extending tran'sversely of the belt and produces a slight butstrongand durable" chain which cooperates adifantageously with thesupporting and; driving rolls. r I

.It has been found in practice to be desir able to provide means fordeta'chably connecting'the meeting ends of the chain to facilitate itsapplication to and removal from a machine and to provide forjtheconnection oi One'endofthe chain with dit' ferent selected stripsadjacent the other end thereof for adjusting its length to differentmachines or to control the degree oftension. To this end means areprovided for attachment to "the terminal strip at one end of the chain,having hooklike parts "for detachable engagement with loop portions ofone of the strips 15yadjacent the otherend of the chain, so that themeeting ends may be conveniently fastened together, the tension of thechain serving to hold the parts in connection. This connecting means ormember is, in the present instance, in the form of a wire strip 20,Figure 2, formed longitudinally thereof with a series of loop portions21 generally similar to the loop portions 16 of the strips 15 andadapted for engagement with the connecting portions 17 of the terminalstrip 15 atone end of the chain; The connecting member or strip 20 isformed at. its opposite side andv intermediate the loop s21 with open,hook-like loops'22 adapted for conveniently detachable engagement withthe loop portions'16 of astrip 15 adjacent the other end of the chain;Connecting strip 20 may have its hooks 22, thus engaged with theterminal strip at theother end ofthe chain, or with the loop portions ofa selected strip .15 spaced at some distance from the opposite end ofthe chain, as found con venientfor adjiisting tlie length of the latter.Where it is 'found desirable to engage the connecting strip 20 with astrip'l15 somewhat spaced from the opposite end of the chain, the freeterminal strip or strips not in use'may,

if desired, be readily uncoiled or unscrewed and removed from the chainby a simple operation, the attachment of the chain ends being thus madeby simply engaging hooks 22 with the loop portions of a selected strip,7

'structed and convenientinaoperation as Well as maintaining the belt. I

I claim as my nventionz the uniform strength of ii A sorting beltcomprising a plurality of wire strips each formed to providelongitudinally thereof a series of loo'ps with intermediate connectingportions between adjacent loops, the connecting portionsof one stripbeing engaged in the loops of the adjacentstrip to join adjacent stripsfor pivotal. movement about axes extend ing transversely of the beltwith their respective loops'in' staggered relation," and a connectingstrip formed: to provide longi tudinally thereof a series of loopsengaged with the terminal strip at one end of the belt and havinghookalike portions inter mediate sai'd loops forl'detachable engage mentwith theterminai stii at the other endof the belt for detach'a ly'connecting the belte'nds together.

2. A sorting belt comprising a plurality of wire strips each formedto'provide'longisuccessive ones of which are "arranged alter- 'nately onoppo'sitesides of the stifip for pivotal connection with complementarytudin'ally thereofafseriesof spaced loops loops of an adjacentf'strip with"th'e spaces f between loops of adjacent strips in .staggeredrelation, and aconnectingmember'at m5 'tached to the terminal strip oneendlof the belt and provided with open hook po'rtions for detachableengagement with the loops of a strip adj ac'ent the other end of thebelt for detachably'connecting the beltends together. V

3. A sorting chain comprising a plurality of wire strips eaeh tormedtoprovide 'longitudinall'y thereof a series of spaced loops successiveones of which are arranged a1- ternately on opposite sides of tlie stripfor pivotal connection with complementary loops of an adjacent stripwith the spaces between loop's'of adjacent strips infst'aggeredrelation, and a connecting wire'strip formed to provide at one sidethereof a series of loops forjengagement with the chain and to provideat theothersidethereof a series of openhoeks "ford'etachable engagementwith the loops o'f a strip adj acentthe other end of the chain for"detachably and adjustably connecting the chain ends together.

4. A sorting chain comprising a plurality loops of the terminal stripatone end ofthe end of the chain and with open hook portions on theother side thereof for detachable engagement with the loops of a stripadjacent the other end of'the chain for de- 10 V tachably and adjustablychain ends together.

ALLEN T. HOXTER.

connecting the

